Controversial Coaches?

[woffordgrad94]

All this talk about Mickey Matthews spouting all that garbage out of his mouth got me wondering- is he the biggest douchebag of the FCS football coaches right now? Or are there others out there as bad as him or worse?

[ASUG8]

No, I'd stick with Mickey. Either he is continuously having his comments taken out of context or he means what he says. He's a great football coach, but needs to get a PR coach.

[Eight Legger]

No one even comes close.

[smcwildcat]

agreed no more questions

[woffordgrad94]

Yep, I figured Mickey would win this dubious honor...if there was another coach out there who talked like he did, they'd be talked about here on AGS!

[ASUG8]

You should have made a poll:

1. Mickey Matthews
2. Matthews, Mickey
3. JMU's coach
4. Any or all of the above

[BDKJMU]

All this talk about Mickey Matthews spouting all that garbage out of his mouth got me wondering- is he the biggest douchebag of the FCS football coaches right now? Or are there others out there as bad as him or worse?

Well, you're the biggest douchebag for starting this thread.

[T-Dog]

Just for arguments sake, what about Bobby Lamb? He's blown a gasket or two at refs in the past. He's seemed to calm down quite a bit recently, but in 05/06, he was getting some grief over his actions and even got a letter of reprimand for standing at midfield after the fumble in the ASU/FU semifinal in 05 and getting a penalty.

[woffordgrad94]

Well, you're the biggest XXXXXXXXX for starting this thread.

Sticking up for your boy no matter what, huh? Well, I guess that's school spirit for you.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Just for arguments sake, what about Bobby Lamb? He's blown a gasket or two at refs in the past. He's seemed to calm down quite a bit recently, but in 05/06, he was getting some grief over his actions and even got a letter of reprimand for standing at midfield after the fumble in the ASU/FU semifinal in 05 and getting a penalty.

BL is the only coach I have ever seen that has caused his own team an unsportsman like conduct penalty. He would probably never make the same kind of comments Mickey Matthews has made about any conference but he does have a temper problem. I remember him kicking over a trash can in Statesboro one time.

I'd also nominate Brian Van GoobleDocker. Total Egonut, blames the players for his own incompetence, calls the Central Connecticut State game a 'scrimmage' then loses it, insists he knows whats best for our offense and turns an 8-3 team into a 3-8 team, then leaves the program in a bigger mess then when he took it over saying "the eagle nation would know the changes I made were for the better if they were educated".

[downbythebeach]

Jim Harbaugh at USD was a pretty big deal, but he has moved on

[Husky Alum]

Don Brown's an unethical douchebag, but he's still a far second behind Mickey.

Then again when Don recruited me when I was in highschool, I thought he was a jerk, so he hasn't changed much over the years.

[MaximumBobcat]

Texas State coach Brad Wright isn't too controversial on the national stage...but our hometown paper sure don't like him....he's an ornery old cuss. xnodx xnodx

-------------------------------------

Published: October 14, 2008 11:33 am

Opinion
By Randy Stevens
Sports Editor

First, let me congratulate the Texas State Bobcats and head coach Brad Wright on a job well done last weekend. Obviously, it was a huge win for the program and hopefully this will be the win that turns the Texas State football program around.

You read that, right. I said hopefully.

You see, there are some within the Bobcat football program, Coach Wright in particular, that believe the sports staff at the Daily Record (which is basically Tyler Mayforth and myself) has been too negative in our coverage of Texas State football.

Why do I bring this up? Well, it’s obviously at the top of Wright’s mind. Immediately following the big win over McNeese, Wright went on the radio and was asked about the performance of his defense, one that has struggled (as proven by the stats — which don’t lie) under Wright’s short tenure.

Instead of naming out players who did well in the game against the third-ranked team in the nation, Wright lashed out at Mayforth, criticizing him for writing negatively about the defense and the football team.

You just won the biggest game of your collegiate career, Coach, and you want to call out a 23-year-old reporter over the air. That’s a really classy move there, Coach Wright.

Then along comes Monday, and Wright’s weekly visit with the local press, which includes Mayforth as well as a handful of others. Again, Wright lashed out, criticizing our newspaper of being too negative, and hence, trying to destroy what he and his coaching staff has attempted to build.

“You can’t be negative,” Wright said. “That’s why I don’t like Tyler and the way he writes and I don’t like Randy Stevens and the way that they write. It tears down what you’re trying to build and they have no idea what it takes to build a team, the day-to-day running of a team, even though ‘what’s-his-name’ said he played football in high school, which means nothing obviously.”

“What’s his name” is, of course, me. And like most young men who grew up in Texas, I played varsity football. I had to inform Coach Wright of this two weeks ago when he said the media knows nothing about football. I disagreed.

Let us continue with Wright’s insightful words.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into making a football team successful and turning around a couple of decades of losing and negative press is one of those things that if it continues, I mean, I don’t read the paper, and I don’t know 10 people who do, but I hear it from people and that’s something we need to shield our kids from too. That’s probably going to be the next step if it doesn’t stop. We just won’t talk to the press.”

First of all coach, if you’re not reading our paper, then how in the world can you criticize what’s in it? And if there are supposedly only 10 people who read our publication, why does it get under your skin so much?

As for not letting the team talk to the press? Yeah, that’s a really smart idea for a program that is trying to raise money and support to go from the Football Championship Series to the Football Bowl Series when the program can’t even consistently win at the current level it’s at.

As for the negativity, there have been far more “positive” stories published than critical ones, and the stories which have been critical come after disappointing losses, like the one at home two weeks ago against Southern Utah.

Look, Mayforth and myself are sports journalists. We call it like we see it. Nothing is, and ever will, be sugar-coated so players’ feelings don’t get hurt.

If the truth hurts, deal with it. And if it hurts the players, teach them to deal with it. You can shelter them when they’re a part of the team, but how’s that going to help them when they step out into the real world and receive criticism from their employers? “No comment” won’t fly far.

When the news is good, that’s how it gets reported. And when it’s bad, it’s reported the same way, which obviously irks Wright.

Look, I understand what Coach Wright wants to do. He wants the team to remain positive by rooting out all of the negatives. Positive thinkers, as the Bobcats found out last weekend, can do some amazing things.

“There are two decades of not doing well around here. It’s a culture of losing, surrounded by the press, to the fans. They don’t know how to handle success. They don’t know how to handle what it takes to be successful. That’s part of our job as coaches is to help (the players) understand it.”

And our job as media is to call it like it is and report the truth. A lesson Wright obviously needs to learn.



Randy Stevens is Sports Editor of the San Marcos Daily Record. Contact him at [email protected].

[Turfwar]

Mickey might make some wild statements, but he is certainly not unethical.

If all that can be said is that he makes unusual statements, not so bad.

[jmu_duke07]

Mickey does tend to say some pretty brash remarks, but in his defense, he doesn't give you any BS. I was always told that self-censorship is the worst type of censorship. xthumbsupx

[BDKJMU]

No one even comes close.

Lets see, one UR fan has responded here. Why am I not surprised its you 8 Legger?

[grayghost06]

Well, I will say that Mickey says stuff that too often is bulletin board material and def. lets his frustrations overide his discretion. Kind of like someone with Tourettes syndrome. In his defense however and like it or not, more often than not his bold statements have more truth than inaccuracy. He'll harp on the inequities of the playoff home game assignments without regard to who it offends because he knows he's right. It may not be politically correct or even prudent from a coaching standpoint, but if he feels he's right, he'll spout off at the mouth. It does make for colorful interviews too.

[PaladinFan]

Just for arguments sake, what about Bobby Lamb? He's blown a gasket or two at refs in the past. He's seemed to calm down quite a bit recently, but in 05/06, he was getting some grief over his actions and even got a letter of reprimand for standing at midfield after the fumble in the ASU/FU semifinal in 05 and getting a penalty.

Are you kidding? Sure the guy gets heated DURING the games, but he is one of the class coaches in the league. He says nothing but glowing things about every other team in the papers and on the radio. Nothing he's ever said, to my knowledge, even comes close to being controversial.

He's a guy that sticks up for his players and has no problem letting the referee know what he thinks. Do people think Bobby Cox is a controversial coach? Nope.

[OL FU]

Are you kidding? Sure the guy gets heated DURING the games, but he is one of the class coaches in the league. He says nothing but glowing things about every other team in the papers and on the radio. Nothing he's ever said, to my knowledge, even comes close to being controversial.

He's a guy that sticks up for his players and has no problem letting the referee know what he thinks. Do people think Bobby Cox is a controversial coach? Nope.

Lamb is animated on the field and believes in working the refsxnodx . But their is nothing controversial about him. I probably have missed one, but I don't think he has ever been anything but complimentary. I do know that ASU fans have discussed his use of the term APPY, but first it is harmless and second probably more of a term of endearment than anything else. There is no one else I can think of that has spent 60% of their entire life and 100% of their adult life in the SoCon.

[PurpleandGold]

I wonder if we'd have three plus threads on Mickey Matthews if JMU wasn't #1. I agree he's got a mouth on him, but one thread should have been sufficient. You SOCON folks should worry more about the SOCON coaches you face the rest of the year.

[lizrdgizrd]

I wonder if we'd have three plus threads on Mickey Matthews if JMU wasn't #1. I agree he's got a mouth on him, but one thread should have been sufficient. You SOCON folks should worry more about the SOCON coaches you face the rest of the year.
xrolleyesx

[OL FU]

I wonder if we'd have three plus threads on Mickey Matthews if JMU wasn't #1. I agree he's got a mouth on him, but one thread should have been sufficient. You SOCON folks should worry more about the SOCON coaches you face the rest of the year.

It's a free country we will worry about whatever we want:p xnodx and Mickey Whoxconfusedx

[mcveyrl]

Controversial? I don't know what's controversial about MM. He's boneheaded at times, but he's never had players in serious trouble, and always handled players with, IMO, appropriate discipline.

How about Bobby Hauck? I don't mean to disparage Montana fans or their team, but he's had some serious trouble with the law in his program. Some people blame it on him, others don't (I don't). If you want to talk about controversial, that's probably a better place to look.

I also didn't think wofford94 cared?? xconfusedx Who knew.

[GATA]

BL is the only coach I have ever seen that has caused his own team an unsportsman like conduct penalty. He would probably never make the same kind of comments Mickey Matthews has made about any conference but he does have a temper problem. I remember him kicking over a trash can in Statesboro one time.

I'd also nominate Brian Van GoobleDocker. Total Egonut, blames the players for his own incompetence, calls the Central Connecticut State game a 'scrimmage' then loses it, insists he knows whats best for our offense and turns an 8-3 team into a 3-8 team, then leaves the program in a bigger mess then when he took it over saying "the eagle nation would know the changes I made were for the better if they were educated".

LMAO. Man, I loved VanGorder. Yeah, he did ruin the program but the guy was so in love with himself that it was comical...almost like a charicature (spelling?).

It was insane how arrogant the guy was. If BVG was still coaching at GSU he would beat out Mickey Matthews EASILY!

You're not supposed to call one of your opponents "a scrimmage" even if that's what you're thinking. Then the guy had the whol "China route" incident with Dal Cannady...I mean you can't make this stuff up.

[BDKJMU]

I wonder if we'd have three plus threads on Mickey Matthews if JMU wasn't #1. I agree he's got a mouth on him, but one thread should have been sufficient. You SOCON folks should worry more about the SOCON coaches you face the rest of the year.

Ditto. IF JMU was 3-4 and unranked, I doubt there would be one thread on Matthews. Now all these other posters care so much about what MM says they are starting threads.

[woffordgrad94]

I don't really care so much about what Mickey said. I mean his comments don't really bother me personally all that much. But you have to admit that he is a "going topic" if you will in FCS football, and his comments warrant discussion. I just wondered if there were any more out there like the Mickster. Now I have my answer: there aren't. So as far as I'm concerned, this thread is over for me now.

[BDKJMU]

I don't really care. I just wondered if there were any more out there like the Mickster. Now I have my answer: there aren't. So as far as I'm concerned, this thread is over for me now.

Oh, I'm sure out of 119 or whatever it is other HC in I-AA there are other coaches like MM. Fact is, if you're #1, you'll get way more attention than the other ranked teams, and way, way way more attention than the unranked teams. Again, if JMU was 3-4 (had lost to UMass, ASU, UR) there would be no thread here. You've got other posters (from teams that JMU doesn't play in the next 4 games or doesn't even play this year period) going onto the Harrisonburg Daily News Record to see if they can get a controversial quote from MM. Sure, I look at the online editions of local papers of teams that JMU is about to play, and maybe for a couple of days after they've played them. But after that, thats it. Outside of that week long period, I wouldn't know what their coach said in their local paper, and could care less.

[GannonFan]

Oh, I'm sure out of 119 or whatever it is other HC in I-AA there are other coaches like MM. Fact is, if you're #1, you'll get way more attention than the other ranked teams, and way, way way more attention than the unranked teams. Again, if JMU was 3-4 (had lost to UMass, ASU, UR) there would be no thread here.

Let's be honest, though, this is the first time JMU's been ranked #1 during the year (outside of the opening week in '05 I imagine) but there's been plenty of threads on Mickey's comments before this one. He's got a long record of "colorful" comments, even in non-playoff years.

[mcveyrl]

Let's be honest, though, this is the first time JMU's been ranked #1 during the year (outside of the opening week in '05 I imagine) but there's been plenty of threads on Mickey's comments before this one. He's got a long record of "colorful" comments, even in non-playoff years.

I actually agree. Mickey's a quote box no matter where we're ranked. I just wouldn't characterize him as controversial. Also, in '05, I think we were #1 for a week. xbawlingx

[GannonFan]

I actually agree. Mickey's a quote box no matter where we're ranked. I just wouldn't characterize him as controversial.

I agree, he's a quote machine, but harmless. He's just the coach of a football program, not like he's a policy-maker somewhere.

[BDKJMU]

Let's be honest, though, this is the first time JMU's been ranked #1 during the year (outside of the opening week in '05 I imagine) but there's been plenty of threads on Mickey's comments before this one. He's got a long record of "colorful" comments, even in non-playoff years.

I've only been on the message boards since 06'. The only non playoff years since 04' was 05', but JMU was the defeneding national champ, started out #1, was ranked almost the whole year. I doubt there was much MM comments that were message board fodder prior to the 04' season.

[OL FU]

I actually agree. Mickey's a quote box no matter where we're ranked. I just wouldn't characterize him as controversial. Also, in '05, I think we were #1 for a week. xbawlingx

Sure he is. The discussions we are having is exactly what controversial means. It just isn't an important controversy. Even within the framework of college sports it is pretty small stuff.xnodx

[BDKJMU]

I actually agree. Mickey's a quote box no matter where we're ranked. I just wouldn't characterize him as controversial. Also, in '05, I think we were #1 for a week. xbawlingx

2 weeks: week before and after Lock Haven.

[Saint3333]

No ones talks as much as Mickey. Lamb never makes comments like that, however I believe the last two trips to Boone he's been on the field longer than most of his team.

Hey Bobby get off the field!:D

[OL FU]

No ones talks as much as Mickey. Lamb never makes comments like that, however I believe the last two trips to Boone he's been on the field longer than most of his team.

Hey Bobby get off the field!:D

I heard this year he is standing down at that one unlucky end of the field the entire game to check for slick spots or other possible tampering irregularities:D

[lizrdgizrd]

I heard this year he is standing down at that one unlucky end of the field the entire game to check for slick spots or other possible tampering irregularities:D

Got his hair dryer and squeegee ready? xlolx

[OL FU]

Got his hair dryer and squeegee ready? xlolx

No But I have heard that he is bringing one of these to change the luck. At this point, we'll try anything

http://www.seaserpentproductions.com/images/VoodooMagicDesign.jpg

[ASUG8]

Ditto. IF JMU was 3-4 and unranked, I doubt there would be one thread on Matthews. Now all these other posters care so much about what MM says they are starting threads.

Welcome to being #1. Your skin will start getting thicker with time.

[T-Dog]

I heard this year he is standing down at that one unlucky end of the field the entire game to check for slick spots or other possible tampering irregularities:D

For the last time, there was no patch of ice. xnonono2x The game was at high noon (although it was around 20-25 degrees) and that play was most the way through the 3rd quarter. No way a patch of ice survived that long.

http://i.packers.com/images/action/martin_ingle_a.jpg

[unipanthers8907]

Mickey Matthews wins this debate

[OL FU]

For the last time, there was no patch of ice. xnonono2x The game was at high noon (although it was around 20-25 degrees) and that play was most the way through the 3rd quarter. No way a patch of ice survived that long.

http://i.packers.com/images/action/martin_ingle_a.jpg

sez youxlolx

that makes that endzone even more suspicious. xnodx Mountain back woods hoodoo stuff going onxrotatehx ;)

[appfan2008]

MM for me... literally no one else is stupid enough to think the things he does let alone same them to the media... idiot

[JMU DUUUKES]

I wonder if we'd have three plus threads on Mickey Matthews if JMU wasn't #1. I agree he's got a mouth on him, but one thread should have been sufficient. You SOCON folks should worry more about the SOCON coaches you face the rest of the year.

Yea the 50 JMU bashing threads that have come up in the past few weeks are purely out of jealousy from being #1. Its sad.

Did Appy get all the crybabying when they were #1 for like 3 years, haha.

[DunkandDukin]

xconfusedx Same ? as the other thread- (basically the same thread I guess) what did he say there that has the Appy fans all in a bunch? He pays the team and program a big compliment, says your the class of the Conference and a lock for post season. What's the issue here?

[lizrdgizrd]

Yea the 50 JMU bashing threads that have come up in the past few weeks are purely out of jealousy from being #1. Its sad.

Did Appy get all the crybabying when they were #1 for like 3 years, haha.
Yes.

[purplepeopleeaterv2]

If it comes with being #1 then I'll gladly take the moaning and groaning over Matthews all season long.

[BDKJMU]

MM for me... literally no one else is stupid enough to think the things he does let alone same them to the media... idiot

Well, I guess that would make most other coaches stupid then according to your logic. You're clueless if you think most other coaches don't think the things MM does. They just don't say as much of them to the media.

[I-AA Fan]

I only heard him twice. Once was a couple years ago when they played YSU in the first-round. His post-game interview was the most pathetic demonstration I ever witnessed.